Highways Agency unveils business plan

The Highways Agency has unveiled its annual business plan that sets out how it will aim to create a more sustainable, reliable and safer road network.

Among a raft of road widening schemes announced today, it plans to award the £5bn, 30-year M25 contract to design, build, finance and operate more than 63 miles of the network later this year with work to start in 2009.

As reported in CJ, three contenders for the work are thought to be Amey/Laing O’Rourke/Ferrovial Agroman; Connect Plus (Balfour Beatty/Skanska/Atkins/Egis Projects SA); and Flow (Vinci/Ringway/Carillon/Costain/Northwest Holst/Laing Roads/Mouchel Parkman/Jacobs).

Also announced were 15 major road schemes, including widening of 17km of the M1 between junctions 6a to 10 by December 2008.

Work to complete a dual carriageway link between London and Portsmouth incorporating twin bored tunnels is on track with the tunnel to open mid-2011.

The Agency also announced plans to extend hard-shoulder running on motorways around Birmingham and introduce CCTV, queue detection systems and variable message signs on other parts of the network.